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Calm spaces: Healing mind, body and spirit

Author: Elizabeth Shimer Bowers

In the midst of the clinical hustle
and bustle of tests and treatments,
cancer patients and their
loved ones need an escape. And
while a trip to a tropical island
may not be feasible, patients and
their caregivers can create everyday surroundings
that feel like a personal retreat.
“It’s important for patients to nurture
their mind, body, and spirit,” says
oncology nurse Sharon Overath, RN,
OCN, who works at Texas Health Harris
Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-
Bedford. “Escaping for a few moments
can be as important as the next round of
chemotherapy.”

Whether it is a hospital room, an office
space, or a bedroom, the more pleasant
and tranquil the environment, the more
positive the impact on physical and emotional
health.

Using good “scents”

A nurturing, calm space will appeal to multiple
senses—hearing, smell, and sight.
Overath, who is also a certified aromatherapist,
knows well the power of
the senses. As a baseline, she recommends
designating a space that allows
for adequate quiet time. For example,
she says that at the hospital where she
works, there is one hour of quiet time set
aside each day, which provides patients
important respite. “We have one hour
each day when there are no tests, and no
one comes into a patient’s room; this silence
is important for helping a patient
regroup,” she says.

In addition to sufficient quiet time
to encourage reflection, Overath says,
patients can benefit from musical
sounds. Obviously highly individual,
these could include a patient’s favorite
music, wind chimes placed outside the
window, recorded prayer or chanting, or
any other sounds that enhance the environment.
Even if it is just humming,
melody and tone are conducive to healing
and a happy mood.

And because smell can also play a powerful
role in making a space conducive to
rest and reflection, Overath recommends
that patients seek to incorporate essences
into their space that will help them open
up and focus on positive things in their
lives. Specific scents have been shown to
elicit different emotional responses, and
patients can benefit from incorporating
those that can promote calm and general
well-being.

For example, Overath says, “Lavender
is a universal scent; most people like it and
find it relaxing.” She also recommends
sandalwood for patients who want something
spicy and intriguing, or rosemary,
which is great for memory. “I also love
frankincense,” she adds. “It is called ‘the
opener’ because it helps people open up and talk and diffuses unresolved issues.”
Incorporating scents into your space is
easy: simply place a cotton ball in a cup
soaked in your chosen essential oil. “You
can also get an inexpensive diffuser for
about $30 that disperses scented mist,”
says Overath. “Or you can use an oil diffuser:
put a few drops of true essential oil
into unscented oil, then place the mixture
in a small cup on top of a tea candle;
that will diffuse the scent into a room.”

Visualizing good health

Equally important to what you hear and
smell in an environment is what you see. A first step in creating a space that is visually
pleasing and allows you to relax and
reflect is to step back and really observe
your chosen space objectively. “To start,
assess a room as if you were a decorator,”
says Nashville-based interior decorator
Deborah Burnett. “Stand in the doorway
of the space you claim as your sanctuary
and use a camera to take a series of
panoramic pictures of the room. Then
print the photos out, place them in order
from left to right, and examine them,”
she says. “Look at the room with fresh
eyes, and you will notice things you never
saw before—dangling cords, messy
shelves, and shoes under chairs. These
are things your body will unconsciously
recognize as uncomfortable. After you
take care of the disarray, you can begin
perfecting the space where you plan to
heal.”

A time-tested way to help balance
and calm the energies in a space is with
the ancient Chinese art and science of
feng shui. Developed more than 3,000
years ago, feng shui demonstrates how
to balance the energies in a given space
to ensure the good health and fortune
of those who inhabit it. New York City
interior designer Debra Duneier uses a unique combination of feng shui, environmental
psychology, and green principles—
a system she calls “EchoChi”—to
help create healing spaces.

One of the most important visual elements
in a space, Duneier says, is color:
“Colors affect healing and the overall
state of mind.” The most soothing colors
duplicate those in nature. “Soft blues,
greens, and beige tones create the image
of a pale blue sky or a new plant in the
spring; they are earthy and grounding.
And soft pinks, peaches, and lavenders
have a relaxing effect as well.”

Other key considerations in creating
a visually pleasing and positive space include
light, furniture placement, natural
elements (such as water and plants),
and favorite objects that elicit a positive
emotional response.

“Overall, it is important to remember
how the qi, or energy in your body,
vibrates like a transmitter and attracts
the same kind of energy that surrounds
it,” Duneier says. By creating a calm
space, you can foster a more calm, centered
spirit.